Marcus Buckingham Wants You to StandOut

One of my idols in the business book and speaker world is Marcus Buckingham. He has been the leader in the strengths movement for the past decade, publishing bestsellers such as "First, Break All The Rules" and "Now, Discover Your Strengths." Together his books have sold more than 3.7 million copies in several languages. His career first started at Gallup as a Senior Researcher and now he is the founder of The Marcus Buckingham Company. He is one of the top management guru's in the world and a highly praised speaker, who has spoken at major companies such as Best Buy, Disney and Toyota.

After taking the assessment, you should learn about which two roles were selected for you based on your answers. My two roles were "connector" and "provider." Here is more information about each of the nine roles that could define your success:

Connector. Individuals who see the world as a web of relationships and connect with people constantly. These individuals realize that people with different strengths can bond together to accomplish great things. In order to be successful as a connector, you need to learn as much as you can about the people around you and find opportunities to collaborate.

Provider. This role matches my personality the most. I'm always wondering how I can support my community and give value to others, in the form of connections and resources. Providers have a good sense of others feelings, are trusted peers, and defend other people's actions.

Advisor. You are the subject matter expert and the one that people go to for advice on a certain topic. As the expert, you are constantly reading and learning as much as you can so that you can provide that information to others.

Creator. Before asking for help, you come up with ideas. You enjoy alone time to think and be clear on what you need to do. You take pride in your ideas, don't like surprises, and you are relentless in your actions.

Equalizer. These people feel that the entire universe needs to be aligned. They strive for balance in everything and you expect a lot from everyone. If someone doesn't do their job, you will notify them of the issue directly.

Influencer. You get people to act based on what you recommend. Your goal is always to move someone else to action through persuasiveness, charm, and other methods. Influencers aren't patient, have selective listening based on what you want to hear, and you're very direct.

Pioneer. These individuals are all about "what's next." They are excited by things they haven't done before and are intrigued by new experiences. They don't fear failure or uncertainty and are very action-oriented.

Stimulator. Those who have high energy and evoke it in others. You elevate the energy in the room, people cling to you, and you make things happen. Other people will take action because they follow you as a leader.

Teacher. You focus on learning from everything you do, see and hear in life. You're a good listener and you pay attention to what other people say, without interrupting them. You act like a coach in how you try to develop the people around you.

The StandOut assessment is a great tool that will give you insight into what your strengths are that you can focus on at work. It will help you realize how you come across to others since it's based on real life situations. The people you work with already get a sense of these strengths from you so it's important you take the assessment and read the book to understand what you offer them.

Dan Schawbel, recognized as a “personal branding guru” by The New York Times, is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, LLC, a full-service personal branding agency. Dan is the author of Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future, the founder of the Personal Branding Blog, and publisher of Personal Branding Magazine. He has worked with companies such as Google, Time Warner, Symantec, IBM, EMC, and CitiGroup.